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Monday, May 23, 2011

This one's all Batali, all the time...

Staring at about a pound of shrimp I had in the freezer, I rummaged through my cookbooks. Everything was fried or scampi, or in other words, been there done that. Finally I get to Batali's Molto Mario that gives some more powerful recipes for shrimp, incluind Fra Diavalo (Devil Priest Shrimp -- aka very spicy, very yummy shrimp) and this one I'm sharing here. I had a can of white beans in the pantry, some fresh tender greens in the fridge that needed to be used up, so this recipe was it!

LOVE this recipe.

Shrimp can get a little predictable and boring, but not is the case with this recipe. The shrimp were simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then grilled. That's it, nothing terribly difficult, no oil and thermometers. I was looking for something quicker and low maintanence and this delivered. To accompany said shrimp, a delightful salad of rosemary-flavored white beans, red onion, and tender greens kissed with lemon zest and good olive oil. Sea salt and pepper brought the salad home. And to finish it all off? A delightful mint oil that was both pretty and flavorful, appropriate without overstepping on the shrimp and delicate salald.

In a medium bowl, stir together the beans, onion, marjoram, rosemary, 2 tablespoons of the oil, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the mint leaves to the boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and transfer immediately to an ice bath. Drain the leaves of the water and transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the remaining olive oil and process until smooth.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Brush with some oil and grill or broil until tunder and cooked through.

Mix the arugala with the beans and onion mixture.

To plate, arrange a heap of the bean salad on the plate, then lean a few shrimp against the side of the salad "lounge chair style." Drizzle with the mint oil and serve.

My Notes:
I used large Gulf Shrimp for this recipe because that's what I had. Mario actually has you using shrimp with the heads and tails still on, so go for that if you wanted added flavor and a formidable presentation.

I also used just a blend of mixed greens because that's what I had on hand. The idea is to go with tender leafy greens for this, so aruguala, spinach, baby leafy grees is fine; leave heartier romaine, raddichio, and iceberg for another time.

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